Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman Nitish Rana has strongly defended Indian cricket team coach Gautam Gambhir after Manoj Tiwary ) was recently criticized for the national team’s embarrassing defeat against Australia in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman called Gautam Gambhir a “hypocrite” and slammed the coach for pushing India captain Rohit Sharma to the forefront to deal with all issues. Furthermore, Tiwary also questioned Gambhir’s success at KKR, suggesting that his PR skills allowed him to take credit for the team’s achievements.

Shows don’t need any PR: Nitish Rana slams Manoj Tiwary

Reacting to the controversial statement, Nitish Rana, who played with Gambhir in Delhi and KKR in the Indian Premier League (IPL), refuted the claims, calling it Manoj · Tiwari’s insecurities. Rana highlighted Gambhir’s positive impact and added that the legendary cricketer’s contribution to KKR’s victory goes beyond what people notice.

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Nitish Rana lashed out at Manoj Tiwary on his X (formerly Twitter) account: “Criticism should be based on facts and not personal insecurities. Gauti bhaiyya is one of the most selfless players I have ever seen. In times of crisis, he takes responsibility like no one else. The performance does not need any PR. The trophy itself is It says it all.”

Criticism should be based on facts rather than personal insecurities. Gauti bhaiyya is one of the most selfless players I have ever seen. In times of crisis, he took responsibility like no one else. Performance doesn’t require any PR. The trophy speaks for itself.

— Nitish Rana (@NitishRana_27) January 9, 2025

Gautam Gambhir is a hypocrite: Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwari criticized India bowling coach Moeen Morkel and batting coach Abhishek Nayar, questioning their value and accusing them of blindly agreeing with head coach Gautam Gambhir . He went on to label Gambhir a “hypocrite”, claiming that the Indian head coach was inconsistent with his words and deeds.

News18 Bangla quoted Manoj Tiwary as saying: “What’s the use of a bowling coach? Whatever the coach says, he will agree. Moeen Morkel is from Lucknow Supergiants. Abhishek Nayar, who plays with Kolkata Knight Riders, has a comfort zone with Gautam Gambhir. He doesn’t do what he says. Abhishek Nayar is from Mumbai. Yair is from Mumbai. Rohit was pushed to the forefront to deal with everything.”

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Manoj Tiwary says Gautam Gambhir did not single-handedly lead KKR to IPL title

Also, Manoj Tiwary weighs in on the rumored tension between Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma, questioning how they to cooperate effectively. Tiwari highlighted contrasting leadership experiences. Tiwari also said that Gambhir did not win the IPL title alone but the entire team including Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine and himself contributed to the success. Tiwary also pointed out that much of KKR’s achievements go to Gambhir.

Tiwari added: “How will they work together? Rohit is the World Cup winning captain. Gambhir led KKR to the IPL title as captain and mentor. Gambhir did not lead KKR to the title single-handedly because we all came together as a unit Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine and I all contributed to the cause, but who gets the credit?”

Notably, India have lost six out of 10 Tests since Gautam Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid as head coach of the Indian cricket team. Under Gambhir’s leadership, India lost the ODI series to Sri Lanka. Gambhir’s next big challenge is the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.